Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Project Receives $20 Million

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, received $20 million to continue construction of the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Flood Risk Management Project.

These funds, released yesterday in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fiscal Year 2017 Work Plan, will allow the St. Paul District and its partners, the Diversion Authority and the cities of Fargo and Moorhead, to continue construction of the Diversion Inlet Structure, continue design of the Wild Rice River Control Structure and additional features of the southern embankment, as well as continue environmental monitoring and design of mitigation features associated with the project.

“Inclusion in this year’s work plan is good news,” said Col. Sam Calkins, St. Paul District commander. “This shows continued commitment to the project and will allow substantial progress. Our goal is to complete this project as soon as feasible to both save money and reduce flood risk for the community. The project could be completed as early as 2024.”

The federal project is a 30-mile long diversion channel in North Dakota with upstream staging. The plan includes a 12-mile long southern embankment, 19 highway bridges, four railroad bridges, three gated control structures and two aqueduct structures.

It will reduce flood risk for more than 225,000 people and 70 square miles of infrastructure.